Grateful
by Joya Verde
Summary: COMPLETE. One sided NaruSasu and ItaNaru. Naruto is nine, and he expereices something no child that age should ever experience or witness. WARNING: YAOI and character death!


**Grateful**

**A/N: **YAOI. If you don't like to read about guys or doing 'stuff' then you may leave or flame me to your hearts content.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. I wish I did though. But if I did I bet it'd be all screwed up.

**Pairings:** A one-sided Naru/Sasu and Ita/Naru. Please enjoy!!

**Note:** Any questions, please don't hesitate to ask me.

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_I never had a great life, but I'm not complaining._

_In many ways, I'm just happy to have been alive._

_I'm grateful to have lived as long as I did._

_Most especially, I'm grateful to have met you._

I never had a great life. I'm not expecting anything to change, so i don't bother to complain. Here, let me explain:

I was born from a pair of homeless couple. One was an alcoholic and the other was disabled. It was no wonder I was sent to an orphanage once I was born. It didn't matter which had which problem, I never met them, and I was sure I never would.

Of course, being a new born baby, I was adopted right away by a pair of rich couples. Now, you would think: I must have lived a grand life. That was true. You might also think the couple loved me unconditionally, why else would they adopt me like they did? Well, sad to say, that part was not true. The loving part, I mean.

Turns out, the couple already had two sons. When they adopted me, the oldest was 5 years of age and the second was a year and a half. What joy, to be adopted into a rich family AND have two brothers at once! Well, there was no joy to that fact. Not even after nine years.

My new parents were always very busy. They adopted me for, can you believe it, publicity. Yup. I was just a show for the world to see just how generous the Uchihas were. Oh, did I forget to mention? My name is Naruto. Uchiha Naruto. But that's not important. You won't remember that for long.

I grew up into the coldest family ever. For some twisted reason, I ended up to be the sunshine in the dark morgue of my family. Funny, huh? I don't know why, but I could always see the happiness in the worst situations.

Funnier yet, I fell in love with my second 'brother', Uchiha Sasuke. Now, let me give you a brief info on Sasuke: he's a cold-hearted-sarcastic bastard. He's _loves_ to make fun of my intelligence (even though we go to the same school and are receiving equal marks). He thinks Itachi, my eldest 'brother' is his rival in everything, even the affection of our parents, although they never seem to give much of a damn of anything that has to do with us, and last but not least, he hates me.

See? I told you it was funny. First, he's my 'brother'. We're both guys. I love him. He hates me. When I think of these facts, I can't help but laugh. Why do I love him? To tell you the truth, I don't know. Maybe it's the fact he's the only one who ever talks to me like I'm someone. The way he looks at me makes me feel warm in this cold house. And maybe, it's because I want to pretend this 'hate' he has for me is actually another way for him to say 'I like you'. Crazy, I know. But impossible? Maybe not. Well, that's what I thought until a few hours ago, when I confessed to him. Accidentally, of course.

**Flashback**

We just finished school. It was a nice day, and we were walking home. I had a few friends saying bye to me, and Sasuke ignored anyone talking to him. Which also makes me feel special because he at least pays ME some attention when i talk to him.

So, there we were, walking home, and I thought just how nice it was with just the two of us, walking home together like best friends.

So, maybe it was because of the mood, or maybe it was because I thought that nothing could ruin my day, the words left my mouth before I could stop them…

"Sasuke, I love you."

Sasuke just stopped in the middle of the rode. I stopped too when I realized what just happened. Oh no.

"Naruto. I hope you're just pulling another retarded prank, because that's not funny."

Uh oh. He looks serious. I guess this means I should just come out in the open:

"Why? Why can't I say I love you? Why can't you believe I love you?"

His eyes got narrower, and he shot me down just like that:

"First, you're a boy. I'm a boy. I need to marry a girl so I can have a family and run father's business. Second, you're adopted; you would never know how I feel about beating Itachi and owning the family business because it would never be passed on to you. Finally, you're stupid. And ugly. And annoying. And you don't know how many times a day I want to punch you, but if I do, I'd get in trouble. So whatever these feelings of 'love' you have for me, get rid of it right away. It's not wanted. In fact, you're not wanted. Why don't you just go back to the orphanage, where you _really _belong?"

Sasuke turned around and walked the opposite way, not even bothering to look at me as I silently cry with tears rolling down my cheeks, watching the image of the person I care most walk away from my life.

**End Flashback**

That was the last time I talked to him. I couldn't help but smile bitterly. If only I hadn't said anything. If only I could change back time… but I can't.

And now, I'm slowly dying with the memories of what happened just now, and a few moments ago.

**Flashback**

I came home emotionless and feeling colder than I ever been. It was not because of the weather, but the fact that my heart seemed to have died and broken into pieces inside of me. A pretty weird feeling, I believe, since I was only nine.

I noticed the leather shoes once I walked in the door, and the jackets hanging on the chair. Mom and dad are back. Goody.

I was NOT prepared for what came into my line of sight next when I walked into the kitchen.

There, lying dead and surrounded by a pool of their own blood was my adoptive parents. Mom was looking at me with shocked dull eyes. Her usually neat her was all over the place and covered in blood. Of course, that's just her head looking at me. Her body was cut in bits and pieces all over the floor. Father wasn't any better.

Though his head still remained intact with his body, his face was unrecognizable and lines were running through his body over and over again with the word "shame" written everywhere. Scary thing is, I don't think he was dead, since his body and fingers were still twitching. But, that also quickly came to an end when Itachi stepped on his neck, hard. I heard a loud CRACK, and the body laid still.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the murderer turned his head towards me, and gave me a look of pure insanity, lust, and love.

I couldn't move. I'm too scared. He's walking slowly with the ever-calm grin on his face. If he wasn't covered in blood or was carrying the eight-inch long knife, I don't think I would have been that scared.

"Naruto… my darling baby brother… how was school? Did you come home by yourself? How naughty of Sasuke to leave you like he did…"

He was right in front of me. I still couldn't move. I wasn't even looking at him, but the dead bodies of my parents.

This seemed to have angered Itachi.

"What's with you?! Does the fact that there are dead bodies in this room fascinate you so much? Do you want to join them?! Is that it?!"

Being a child, I did was expected for any child to do in that situation. I cried.

"Oh, Naruto. I'm sorry. Don't cry. You're an Uchiha. You should know it's not right for you to cry… here… let Ni-san comfort you…"

His form of 'comfort' wasn't what I expected. Itachi kissed me, and began digesting his clothes as well as mine.

When I was a baby, my nanny always held me for comfort when i cried, or was hungry, or just needed someone to hold me. It's not like I hate what Itachi's doing to me, but I was so confused, and my parents' dead bodies were so close, I couldn't stop crying or shaking.

It was probably this reason that Itachi snapped once again. And he didn't calm down. At least, not when I last saw him.

"Why are you still crying?! Can't you see I'm trying REALLY hard to calm you down? You ungrateful little bitch! -SLAP- Is that what you want? To be treated like a whore? All right. Then I'll give you what you want."

It all happened real quickly. One moment he was holding me to his chest. The next moment, I was on the floor with Itachi's dick down my throat. I couldn't breathe, so I accidentally bit him. Hard.

Of course, he screamed, took his dick out of my mouth, and punched me hard on the face. He didn't stop there. He hit me a few more times, the blows landing everywhere on my body. I couldn't move. Couldn't scream. Couldn't see. Most of all, I couldn't think of you. Whenever I'm scared, I think of you. When I'm nervous, you seem to chase away all of my fears, with just that small lift of your lips that I call your smile.

I'm cold, naked, and hurt. I could only open my right eye, but that was also useless, since I was now on my front, knees and elbows bent, rear in the air.

I felt a foreign blunt object behind me, and before I was enveloped in unbearable pain, I heard Itachi say to me:

"I love you, Naruto."

Then, nothing else could get through me from the pain that came a second later.

**End Flashback**

That ended not even half an hour ago. When I tried to crawl away, Itachi grabbed his trusty knife, and stabbed me in the stomach. Itachi left right away, giggling to himself and humming satisfyingly. I laid there, on my back, naked, beaten, abused, covered in some bitter liquid, bleeding my own blood, and surrounded by blood from my dead parents, still missing you.

I wonder, with the last remaining seconds before I go, where are you? Will you miss me? I hope you don't come back. If Itachi did this to you like he did me, I would be forever sad.

Even in these last moments, I'm grateful to have met you. To have been born to meet you, to have experienced how to love you, and to have you care about me in your own sick way. I know you don't hate me. Nor do you love me. But I know you have at least treated me like a friend.

Thank you.

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A/N: Sad? I hope so… I'm trying to do lemon, so I can try it for my other story. I was thinking of having another chapter, this time of what Sasuke had been doing, and what he thought of Naruto's confession. But ending it like this, isn't that good enough? I hope to receive reviews!! Thanks. 


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